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World Kidney Day 2018 Focuses On Women's Health: Significance And Theme

Kidney and Women's Health is the theme of World Kidney Day this year.

By: DoctorNDTV Updated: Mar 8, 2018 08:29 IST

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Kidney diseases are known to be the 8th leading cause of death among women

HIGHLIGHTS

World Kidney Day is meant spread awareness about importance of kidneys

Chronic kidney diseases can causes complications in pregnancy

Chronic kidney diseases can reduce fertility in women

March 8 is observed as World Kidney Day all across the world. The day is celebrated to raise awareness about the importance of kidneys to our health. Various events and awareness campaigns are organised to make people aware about kidney health, the impact of kidney diseases and the health problems which are associated with it. These awareness programs are meant to spread awareness about the fact that high blood pressure and diabetes are two of the most important factors of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

On this day, the objective is to test patients with kidney ailments for diabetes and high blood pressure. The aim is to encourage people to take precautionary measures in order to avoid kidney diseases and the risk factors related to them.

Among the populations that are at higher risks of developing kidney diseases, the aim is to educate medical professionals about how they can detect and reduce risks of CKDs. On this day, the governments are encouraged to be more proactive about screening of kidneys and invest more on the concern.

The aim of World Kidney Day is to make kidney transplants possible in cases of kidney failure and also encourage donating kidneys to save more lives.

World Kidney Day theme

This year, World Kidney Day coincides with International Women's Day and the theme aptly is "Kidney and Women's Health." CKDs are known to be the 8th leading cause of death among women. The reasons for this are:

1. Progressions of CKDs is slower in women as compared to men

2. The awareness about kidney ailments is much lower in women as compared to men. This means that many women begin with dialysis at a later stage and some don't undergo dialysis at all.

3. The access to health care systems is uneven in some countries. Social, cultural and psychological aspects have resulted in an unequal spread of kidney transplants.

Kidney infections and lupus nephropathy are common kidney ailments among women. The former is more common during pregnancy. Timely diagnosis and treatment of these infections is important to prevent these kidney infections from going bad to worse.

Lupus nephritis is an autoimmune kidney disease which has an impact on body's immune system.

CKDs are known to reduce fertility among women and also create adverse outcomes of pregnancy. A mother suffering from CKD is at risk of negative outcome of pregnancy, and so is the baby. The complications are even more among women who have advanced CKD as there are more chances of preterm births and hypertensive disorders.

Fertility can be restored among women who have successfully undergone kidney transplants. However, there is a constant need for medical supervision.

Moreover, these maternal complications are even more among women living in developing countries. This is because of improper management and lack of access of proper prenatal care and availability of dialysis.

Thus, this World Kidney Day, let's get together and raise awareness about CKD in pregnancy. Affordable and equally distributed access to health is a right of one and all.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

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